It is known to provide an interior trim panel for a vehicle which is aesthetically and/or tactilely pleasing to the vehicle occupants. Such trim panels commonly have cushioned soft-touch aesthetic features. In particular, interior vehicle door panels often include a bolster area having such cushioned soft-touch aesthetic features. Such localized softness in a bolster area may be provided by a cover, such as flexible fabric or vinyl material of varying thickness typically mounted to a rigid structural substrate to form a bolster panel.
It is also known to form bolster panels using in-mold lamination. However, such bolster panels often require several post-molding assembly operations, including trimming excess cover material or folding and securing excess cover material to a back side of the bolster panel. Holes for receiving components, such as armrests, door latches, and thermoplastic stakes, must then be provided, such as by punching. Such known methods of manufacturing vehicle bolster panels therefore typically require a series of separate molding and assembly steps which can add significant cost to each part produced. It would therefore be desirable to provide an improved method of manufacturing an interior bolster panel for a vehicle.